Rinaldi Racing will race a Ferrari 488 GT3 in the VLN and at the Nürburgring 24 Hours this year as Wochenspiegel Team Monschau, the German team has confirmed.
Driving the team’s 488 in the Nürburgring-based programme will be Georg Weiß, Oliver Kainz and Jochen Krumbach with Mike Stursberg set to support the trio at select rounds.
It marks the team’s return to the VLN after racing in VLN 8 last year. It will race in SP9 in the Pro-Am class as #22. It’s also an additional effort to its previously announced full Blancpain GT programme.
“VLN 8 was a very good test for everybody. There the drivers adapted themselves to the car very well and managed the car at the first attempt. Therefore that they have never been behind the steering wheel of the Ferrari 488 GT3, it was a successful result for the whole team,” said team principal Michele Rinaldi.
In the VLN Wochenspiegel Team Monschau will also run a Porsche Cayman 981 Clubsport GT4 in the SP10 class with Rene Offermann and Dirk Riebensahm. Previously the Wochenspiegel brand was associated with Manthey Racing, which competed in both the VLN and N24 with a GT3 Porsche in SP9.
In addition to this new effort, Wochenspiegel Team Monschau also plan to participate in the 24 hours Series from Creventic at the end of August, in the 24 Hours of Portimao.
“We are very pleased to work together with the Wochenspiegel Team Monschau,” added Rinaldi. “It will be a challenge for everybody. The driver lineup around Georg Weiß is promising and we will see where we will be ranked in the new Pro-Am class. Many thanks to Georg Weiß to trust in Ferrari and in Rinaldi Racing for the 2017 VLN season.”
Ferrari entries in the Nurburgring 24 Hours have been thus far notable for their rarity.
Farnbacher Racing competed in 2010 and 2011 Hankook backed cars, the GT2 spec F430 GTC (above) winning SP7 in 2010 and finishing second overall, the replacement F458 GTC taking an SP8 class win the following year after setting pole position in the hands of Allan Simonsen, eighth overall after a suspension issue dropped them out of a potentially race winning position.
More recently Rinaldi fielded a GT3 version of the 458 before, in 2014, the GT Corse by Rinaldi branded entry retiring late in the race.
Mention too should go to the efforts of Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus with its P4/5, based on Ferrari GT underpinnings, which has raced in the 24 Hours three times,with a best finish of 12th overall in 2012.
